The World Went Silent
by ChibiUranus
Summary: Based on the Story of Evil. Rin/Len, Kaito/Miku, Miku/Len, Kaito/Meiko, Meiko/Dell.
1. Chapter 1

"Leeen!" the small girl cried, rushing over to her brother. "Do you hear the bells?" Her voice was high and excited, baby blue eyes shining as she looked at her twin brother. He giggled at her, and their fingers intertwined.

"They're really pretty, Rin!" Len said, grinning as he looked up at the church. Today was their fourth birthday, and they were being blessed by the chapel's staff. The two's parents had died a long time ago, their mother while giving birth and their father mysteriously disappearing from the throne of the kingdom. The two twins however were too young, too naïve to know the difference.

"Kagamine-san," an adult voice was heard as the two twins turned to the speaker, their hands still grasping each other's. "I'm sorry, but the church can't afford to keep you two here much longer…" Len blinked. What did that mean? Where were they going to go?

"Come with me," the man who was standing next to the woman huffed in his gruff voice, lifting Rin from under the arm to take her to the carriage. Len panicked. His grip tightened on his sister's, and he protested.

"No!" he cried, his eyes watering. "Why are you taking Rin away? Why?" He didn't understand it at all. They needed to be together! What would he do without her?

"Let go," the woman commanded, grabbing Len's arm and dragging him inside the chapel. The twins' hands were broken apart, but they still reached for each other in the vain hope of holding hands again. Tears ran down Len's cheeks, streaking his face as he screamed.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"


	2. Chapter 2

Why was she alive? Haku sighed to herself. There was always pain, and more pain, in her life. By now it had become less of a sharp pang, and more of a dull kind of pain that she hardly noticed anymore. The green-haired bartender slid another glass of alcohol to me, not bothering to talk. That was how it always was. Haku sipped the drink, feeling the sharp taste on her tongue. She always drank it, every day, hoping she would find less pain in confusion. But all it ever did was depress her more. Depressing, like the color of her hair.

"There she is," one of the beautiful women whispered to her friend. "White hair…. Unheard of in the land of green!" The group of women giggled, the bartender with the sunglasses and orange outfit smirking slightly. The white-haired girl sighed, looking down at her now empty cup. Everyone laughed. Her life was meaningless. Why was she alive?

Haku stood up and walked out of the bar, her long maiden's dress brushing the ground. She was tired of being ridiculed, made fun of, because her hair was white in a land where everyone had beautiful green hair. But she could feel no anger towards them. After all, she was the one who was ugly. Unique. Hopeless.

She had made her way to a secluded area of the forest that surrounded the castle. As far as Haku knew, nobody came here except for her. That was for the best. It was the only place she wasn't made fun of. But it was an incredibly lonely existence. The white-haired girl leaned against one of the trees, hugging herself as she trembled. It would be so easy to end her own life, to take one of the knives from her kitchen and drive it through her chest. To rid the world of the ugly white-haired woman named Yowane Haku.

"Kyaa!" She heard a feminine yelp and Haku froze. There was someone here! She felt a pang in her chest as she whipped around, seeing a teenage girl no older than sixteen kneeling on the ground holding what looked to be a twisted foot. Haku recognized her right away. She was Hatsune Miku… the most beautiful girl in the land. She had a sweet smile and beautiful looks. What else could one ask for?

"Are… are you alright?" Haku asked, kneeling down beside the girl. Miku gave her a weak smile.

"Oh… I'm okay," she said in her sweet, angelic voice. She really was the most beautiful girl in the land. Haku shouldn't be talking to her. But she couldn't very well leave _Miku _injured! Especially when she was so inferior to her.

"Let me help you," Haku said gently, running off to the well by the castle. It was the fastest she had ever run before, but it was worth it. She quickly pulled off her sash and soaked it with water, before returning to Miku. The green-haired girl was still kneeling on the ground, in the dirt where her dress would likely get dirty. Haku knelt beside her and wrapped the twisted ankle in her sash, before helping the younger girl to her feet.

"You should wash your dress," Haku informed her. "You look very beautiful when it's clean."

"I'll be fine," Miku reassured her, leaning onto Haku for support. "Thank you. You didn't need to use your pretty sash to help me…" Haku blinked. Miku, _Hatsune Miku_, called her sash pretty? Was this some sort of dream, or twisted nightmare? "Miss? I didn't… get your name."

Name? That was even more surprising. Nobody asked for her name, everyone knew her as the white-haired girl. "Yo… Yowane Haku." She then quickly changed the subject. "We should get you somewhere where you can rest. My hut is not too far from here…" Then without saying anything else, Haku started helping the girl towards her small place of residence.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you feeling any better?" Haku asked as Miku sat up in the bed.

"Yes, very," Miku yawned slightly, running a hand through her smooth hair as she swung her legs off the bed.

"I washed your dress," the white-haired girl continued, pouring her guest a cup of tea. "I'm so sorry for troubling you."

"What?" the younger girl asked, looking at Haku. "Troubling me? You're helping me; I am the one troubling you."

"Oh, no," Haku replied. She handed Miku the glass, and the girl took it gently. The girl with green hair sipped from the cup, her lips pulling into a slight smile at the taste. She placed the glass on the nightstand and put her hands in her lap.

"The tea is very good, Haku-san," she said, smiling at the older girl. Haku's eyes widened in surprise. "You've taken very good care of me, I thank you." This couldn't be true, could it? The white-haired girl just stared at Miku in shock, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Oh, um, you're welcome," she finally stammered. "But it's a pleasure to help you Miku-sama, especially since I'm so inferior to your beauty…"

"Inferior?" Miku echoed, then smiled once more. "Haku-san, you're the most beautiful girl in this village."

Haku couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her red eyes widened, and after a few minutes she finally managed to choke out, "Really?"

"Yes."

How could someone be so friendly to her? Why would she? Was Miku simply pitying her? These were all questions Haku couldn't answer, but she didn't really care. Her vision starting to blur, the girl threw herself against Miku, burying her face in the younger girl's shoulder as the tears came. It didn't matter if she wasn't sincere. All that mattered was that she thought she was beautiful.

The tears kept coming, for what could have been hours. Miku didn't try and push Haku away, but simply held her as she cried. Now, it didn't matter if the whole world made fun of her. All that mattered was that someone in the universe appreciated her, and that was all Haku could ever ask for in her lifetime.


	4. Chapter 4

"I hope you're prepared!" the woman called from downstairs. Len sighed. In his fourteen years of life, he had grown to realize he hated the woman. But she taught him everything she knew, how to become a servant in line to the princess of the Kingdom of Yellow. He had trained for ten years, ever since Rin had been taken away from him. Right now he was sitting at his desk in the small house he had lived in while he was training. The lights were off, the only illumination being the dim light produced by a candle. The mirror was dirty and distorted, and there were several papers on the desk.

The blonde boy snatched a black ribbon from one of the drawers and tied back his shoulder-length hair with it. He had heard that Her Highness had a fetish for black ribbons. Once he was finished, the fourteen-year-old boy looked into the tarnished mirror. He had grown quite a bit in the past ten years. He had become taller, his features becoming more defined yet still feminine. If he wanted to he could probably pass as a girl.

Len sighed, and picked up a photograph from the clutter of papers. He stared at it for a few minutes, in anguish. It was the photograph that was taken at his and Rin's fourth birthday, before the man took her away. The man with purple hair. Cursing under his breath, Len slipped the photograph into his breast pocket and blew out the candle before walking out of the room and down the stairs. The woman was already waiting.

"What took you so long?" she snapped, her aqua eyes glaring. Len had learned to ignore that glare by now. And she knew it. With a huff, she slipped an elegant black hat over her light pink hair and opened the door.

The air was dry, about as dry as Len felt. Without saying a word, he and the woman climbed into the carriage and with a crack of the woman's whip, the horses began moving. Len stared out at the streets, remarking how poor they were. He never had to worry about supplies, for everything he needed was supplied by the pink-haired woman. Not spoiled, just not in poverty. They passed a small bakery, run by a hot-pink-haired teenager not much older than Len with drill-like twintails. There were two blonde girls leaving the bakery, one of them with long unstyled hair and the other with a side ponytail. The one with no hairstyle was carrying a paper bag of bread.

Steadily, the horses' hooves came to a stop as the carriage arrived in front of the castle. Silently, both Len and the woman got off of it and approached the castle entrance. It was larger than Len anticipated.

"Let's go," the woman broke the silence and the large doors opened. The two people entered and the clack of their shoes echoed throughout the seemingly empty castle. Len kept his gaze on the floor as the two of them walked. A gruff voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he brought his head up to see a purple-haired man with his hair in a ponytail. It was much longer than Len's, but tied with a similar black ribbon. It took Len a moment to register, but he finally recognized the man as the one who had taken his sister away. The boy immediately perked up slightly. If he was here… was Rin here too? Was she a servant?

"You may proceed," he told Len, who nodded and walked into the throne room with more confidence than he came in the castle. "My lady, your new servant has arrived."

The princess was pretty, with a long, flowing orange dress adorned with black ribbons and yellow flowers. She turned to face her new servant, baby blue eyes obviously bored. Len's heart skipped a beat. It was almost like looking into a mirror, except the reflection was female. The boy froze. _Rin-! _His vision began to cloud over with tears, but Len forcefully held them back.

"So you're my new servant," the princess said without much emotion. It felt as if Len's heart had shattered into a million pieces. She didn't recognize him. She must have forgotten he had ever existed. _No! No! _Len thought to himself, shaking a little bit. He heard the man smirk somewhere behind him as the doors shut, leaving him and Rin alone in the room.

"You better not be boring," Rin sneered, flicking her short, blonde hair. There was a yellow rose in it. "I think you should know by now that the last servant who was unsatisfying was sent to the guillotine," she said, gaining a rather sadistic grin. Len could only stare in disbelief.

_No… this can't be Rin! What's happened to her?_ But he knew it was really Rin. His innocent twin sister. His innocent twin sister was the head of a country ruled by malice. _NO!_


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, in a village on the outskirts of the Yellow Kingdom, the people were resuming their normal work day. The brunette maiden sighed as she carried her bucket of water back to her house. The village had no money, for all of it had been stripped away by the princess's vile taxes. All of the maiden's family was sick, most of them dead. The last ones left alive were the maiden and her twin brother, but even he was close to death. Once he was gone, she would have to stand alone with her lover.

She entered the small hut that her family had once lived in, but now it smelled of sickness and death. Inside the room already were two people, one laying on the bed while the other sat in the chair and looked over him. The one laying in the bed was sickly pale, with short brown hair that matched the exact shade of the maiden's. His chestnut-colored eyes were closed, and his ragged breathing seemed to be the only thing that let her know he was alive. The other man looked very similar to the prince of blue, except in reds. He had told her that he had fled from the kingdom of blue to join the small village in hoe of a normal life. _Normal_.

"How is he doing, Akaito?" the maiden asked shakily, putting the bucket down. She wet a rag in it and placed it on her sweating twin's head.

"He seems to be getting worse," the red-haired man told her solemnly.

"Meiko…" the sick man whispered, raising a hand up shakily. The maiden took it gently.

"Yes, brother?" she asked. Meiko squeezed his hand, and her brother smiled slightly. Ever since he had gotten sick he had gotten a lot slimmer than before, and you could see his ribs through his skin. They were all rather slender, but he was the worst.

"I'm going to… pass on… please… bring down…. the yellow princess…"

"You're not going to die!" Meiko interrupted, tears blurring her vision. "We're going to get you some bread, and… and… take you to the blue kingdom…"

"You know I won't survive a journey to the land of blue," her brother said weakly, squeezing her hand back. "I love you… Mei-chan." As he said those words, his breath ran out slowly, and then it stopped altogether. Meiko gasped as the tears ran down her face, and she held her brother's hand to her cheek, rocking softly as if to comfort herself.

"No… no…" she whispered, wishing that the hand she was holding would miraculously come back to life and wipe her tears away. Instead, Akaito wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest in comfort. They stayed there in quiet mourning when a shout came across the village.

"The yellow soldiers are coming!" a male voice shouted. Then screams of panic. The two lovers broke apart and looked into each other's eyes, looking for answers.

"They're going to pay for this," Akaito growled, unsheathing the sword that was at his waist. All of the men carried swords, for once a long time ago the village produced the best war generals. But not anymore since the princess came into power.

"Akaito! No!" Meiko shrieked. "If you're caught, they'll send you to the guillotine!" Her lover simply smiled.

"It's a small price to pay for freedom, isn't it? Besides, I need to protect you." And with that, he ran out of the hut leaving an absolutely broken Meiko. She rushed into the basement. She was the only one left.

Once the sounds of battle outside her hut stopped, Meiko gained enough courage to go out into the village. What she saw made her eyes widen in terror. The village was empty, except for the splatters of blood on the dusty ground. Scattered weapons lay about. The whole village had been taken hostage by the yellow princess, and they were going to be sent to the guillotine one by one. And in the dust, was Akaito's sword. Meiko gasped, and lifted the weapon out of the dirt. More tears flowed freely down her face, and she clenched her hand around the sword.

"Unforgiveable."


	6. Chapter 6

"Haku! Miku!" the woman snapped. The two girls glanced at each other and smiled. They had run away from their village in the green kingdom, and moved into a town just over the border into the land of blue. They now worked as servants under a very refined woman, with beautiful azure hair and eyes. She was the sister of the prince, and he was supposed to visit her for dinner and tea. So of course, the servants had to prepare.

"Yes, ma'am!" the green-haired girl said cheerfully and started setting out the dishes for the elegant dinner. They had gathered the mansion's finest china and wine to serve to the prince and their mistress. Haku smiled to herself as she helped her only friend set out the dishes. They may be away from the village in an unfamiliar town, but it was okay because they were together, wasn't it?

"I wonder what the prince is like…" Miku mused to herself, brushing her light green hair out of her eyes. "I bet he's just as handsome and kind as they say."

The white-haired woman blinked. Did Miku have a thing for the prince? "I bet he is."

"You two better finish up! The prince is here!" the blue-haired woman shouted to the two just as they were laying the last of the china on the table. Haku could hear a door opening, a male voice and some excited chatter before the woman returned with the prince. The two looked almost exactly alike, except for the gender of course, and the fact that the prince was a few inches taller than the princess.

Haku glanced over to Miku, who was staring at the prince in awe, a light blush on her face. The white-haired girl quickly became worried. What if her only friend abandoned her for the prince of blue? _Don't be stupid, _she told herself. _Miku-chan's your friend… she'd never leave you… _And thus, she forced herself to smile as they were introduced to the prince.

The dinner went extraordinarily well. The prince rarely spoke to the servants, seemingly in a heavy conversation with his sister about the princess of the kingdom across the sea. Once in a while they would need refills of their wine, and Miku always happily volunteered to give the prince his drink.

After a while, the blue-haired prince finally stood up. "Do you mind if I step out into the garden, dear sister?" he asked. Miku took the chance to get closer to him.

"I'll escort you!" she said excitedly. The prince smiled at her and nodded.

"That would be lovely," he said in a kind tone. Haku swore she almost saw Miku leap into cloud nine with happiness. Maybe she would abandon her after all. It was scary to think about.

As the green-haired teenager began to escort the prince to the gardens, Haku sighed. She picked up the empty plates and took them into the kitchen, cleaning them alone. Alone, like she had always been before she met Miku.


	7. Chapter 7

"This is unbearable!" Rin exclaimed, brushing her hair off her shoulders. "I don't see the purpose in going out at all, servant. Why am I here?" Len sighed to himself, the salty wind blowing his tied-back hair. All his princess did was complain… about the trip, about the smell of the ocean, about the clothes she was wearing. Each time she complained was the equivalent of driving a knife straight through Len's chest and twisting it for good measure. Was this the same Rin he knew before?

"Come on, it's beautiful," Len said, smiling softly at her. He could forgive her, couldn't he? The blonde boy reached out and grabbed his sister's hand, causing her to blush slightly. Len blushed too, but then he told himself, _If she knew who you were, she wouldn't blush. _Len brushed the thought aside and sat down on a rock overlooking the beautiful ocean. They had come over to a chapel overlooking to ocean that separated their own kingdom and the land of blue. Rin hesitated, and then sat down beside him, their fingers still locked together. _This is how it should be…_

"You know… there's a legend about this place," Len said, looking over at Rin with a smile. "That if you put a wish in a bottle and send it out to sea, your wish will come true." The blonde princess raised an eyebrow.

"But I don't need to wish for anything," she protested, her lower lip sticking out a bit in a slight pout. "Because everything I wish for will be given to me by you, right nii-san?"

"Nii-san?" Len echoed, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Did she really remember? Did she really realize that he was her twin brother? It was almost too good to be true…

"You don't mind if I call you that, right?" the princess asked, grinning. "It's boring to say 'servant this', 'servant that' all the time! _Nii-san _is much better." Len suppressed his sigh and threw a fake smile at her.

"Oh, it's all right," he said to her in the friendliest voice he could muster.

"You're the first boy I ever felt close to," the blonde-haired princess giggled, causing Len to blush a bit. _No! Why am I blushing? _he thought frantically. _This isn't right! _Rin laughed at him, and then continued.

"But I'm really in love with the prince… the one that lives across the sea," she said softly, a small smile coming across her features. "I'm going to give him this letter… then we'll get married and the two kingdoms will be united." Her face twisted back into a bigger smile, but this time Len thought it was almost menacing. Bloodthirsty.

"Well then…" Len reached over and picked a bottle from his knapsack, and wrote something on the scroll inside it before sealing the bottle. "Then I wish you the best luck, my princess!" Rin grinned at him again, sticking her own note in a second bottle.

"I don't believe in wishes," she said plainly. "But I suppose if it makes you happy, I'll do this wish in a bottle thing." Len smiled half-heartedly at her, and then they both set out their wishes into the Yellow Sea. They stood there for a few minutes, watching the glass bottles drift off into the sunset. After a few minutes that could have been hours, Len let go of Rin's hand and spoke up.

"We should be getting back to the palace, my lady."


	8. Chapter 8

"Eh?"

"A woman refused to pay her taxes… so I brought her here for your superior judgment," Len smiled at his princess. He had been her servant for a while, at least a month and they seemed to be as close as they were a decade before. But if only she remembered…

"Why would I be concerned with some poor woman?" the blonde-haired princess rolled her eyes. Len just smiled at her.

"I don't know, maybe you can make her clean the horse cage."

"Good idea! Bring her in."

Without hesitating, the two guards who were stationed outside the throne room door brought in a struggling woman, before dumping her at the servant's feet. She seemed to be a young adult, somewhere between twenty and twenty-five and appeared to be one of the village maidens of the village they had destroyed. Her brown hair was cut short, just past her ears at at her side was a sword in its hilt. Len drew his own sword and pointed it at the broken woman before him.

"Do you know what the punishment is for disobeying the princess?" the servant asked, smirking. "For not contributing enough?"

"Death," the maiden spat out bitterly. "The penalty is death."

"And yet you decided to go against our policies anyway… it's almost as if you want to die…"

"I have nothing to live for! That bitch has taken it away from me!" the brunette practically screamed. Rin gasped, and Len brought his sword down along the woman's arm. The cut began to bleed, running down the woman's arm as she trembled. And yet Len seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he had done such a thing.

"Don't kill her," the princess cut in, an evil grin appearing on her features. "She wants us to kill her… but I think that a few years in the jail cell being tortured would be a lot more fun. Don't you agree, nii-san?"

"Definitely."

"TAKE HER TO THE DUNGEONS!"

And the guards obliged before the princess had even finished the phrase.


	9. Chapter 9

Meiko landed on the cold cement floor of the dungeon with a thud. The clang of metal sounded as the guards shut her cell. It took nearly all of her strength to get into a sitting position. Ever since the day that the yellow army had invaded her village, had _slaughtered _her village… she had decided to bring justice to the princess. But she had ended up here instead. What a life she was going to live, in the cellar of the yellow castle.

A hand went to the wound on her arm. It was still bleeding. If she wasn't careful, she could bleed to death in this dusty cell. Scowling, Meiko looked around. There was nothing, no bed or window. Truly horrible, making the prisoners sleep on the cement ground. But the brunette didn't think that fazed the princess at all. She sighed, and then ripped off the bottom part of her long skirt to wrap around her arm. Almost immediately it was soaked through with blood. It would do for right now.

She needed to get out of this place. Meiko leaned against the wall for what seemed like hours. Her throat was burning with thirst, and she couldn't even tell if it was night or day by the time the guards came down with her small ration of food. It was just about a quarter of a loaf of bread, which they threw at her through the iron bars like a dog. Meiko scoffed at it and left it sitting on the ground.

Her hand fell back to her side brushing the hilt of her sword as she thought of a plan… _the sword! _They hadn't taken it away from her, probably because they guessed she would kill herself with it. Meiko unsheathed it, running her finger along the edge of it. Akaito's sword. An almost insane grin spread across her face as she figured out how she was going to get out. Slowly, she reached over and grabbed the piece of bread, practically stuffing it into her mouth. It was stale and tasted like dust but she didn't care. She was going to need all the energy she could get.

Once she was finished (it hadn't taken long to eat such a small ration of bread), Meiko stood up. She clutched the rusty bars with one hand, testing their strength. There was no way she could chop through them. But no matter. She had a better plan, a foolproof one.

Slowly, Meiko brought the sword up over her head, then quickly swung it down. It collided with the bars with a deafening bang. She could hear rustling up above. Multiple times, the brunette swung, filling the air with harsh clangs and crashes of metal on metal. Any minute, one of the guards would surely come down to see what was making such a loud noise.

"What the-" the guard didn't even get to finish his sentence before Meiko drove the sword through his head. Just as quickly as she put it in, the maiden pulled it out. The blade was covered in blood. The blood of her enemy. And somehow, it felt satisfying. Meiko shook her head, irritated. She couldn't let herself think if she was going to get out of here.

Quickly, Meiko knelt down and took the keys from around the limp guard's waist. If she didn't hurry, the other guards would come as well. Once they were successfully in her grasp, she stood back up and fiddled with the lock until it came undone. As quietly as she could, she opened the barred door and at the last minute turned back to her cell. In messy kanji, she wrote in the dust, "_Death to the daughter of evil!_". Then she turned and out of the cell.

"You'll never sneak out," a harsh voice said from the other end of the dungeon. Meiko turned to the source of the voice. In the cell across from hers was a young man, probably about 18 to 20 was her guess, with gray hair tied back into a short ponytail and red eyes, accented with tired bags.

"I can try," Meiko replied. The man shook his head.

"They'll catch you too quickly," he explained. "There's a stiffened trap door in my cell, that I suspect can lead us out. We could probably open it with both our strength combined."

The maiden narrowed her dark brown eyes. "Show me."


	10. Chapter 10

"AAAARRRGGHH!" screeched the princess. Len rushed to the throne upon hearing his lady's scream.

"My lady?" he exclaimed, trying his best to keep the panic out of his voice. There were tears running down Rin's cheeks, and both of her fists were clenched tightly. Len could see that she was holding a crumpled up piece of paper in one of the fists.

"He…" she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "He… rejected me…"

Len's eyes widened slightly. She must have been talking about the prince of blue, who she had finally sent her proposal letter to. He had rejected it. But why?

"It is a mistake," he told his princess firmly, walking up to the broken girl and holding her to his chest. "You may confront him soon, but let's go for an outing to calm your nerves." The girl embracing him simply nodded.

The bustle of street activity was more than enough to lift Len's spirits. Both the princess and himself were wearing typical village clothes; black pants, white shirt and newsboy caps on their heads. "Isn't it fun, my lady?" Len asked, turning to the princess with a smile on his face. She was making a face and tugging at her clothes. The blonde boy giggled slightly and took her hand. "You'll see, this will cheer you up."

Just then, at the worst of times a breeze decided to blow by. Rin squeaked and held her hat on, but Len wasn't so lucky. Before he could secure his hat, the wind had picked it up and carried it away. Laughing, Len released his lady's hand and chased after it. "I'll be right back!"

"Nii… san?" Rin blinked, then decided to follow after her loyal servant.

The black newsboy hat had finally landed on the ground, and Len came to a stop. He was out of breath. Before he could pick up his hat, another hand did. It was a teenage girl, about sixteen years from what Len could tell, with long beautiful green hair.

"Uh… excuse me, that's my-" he started, when the girl turned to face him. Her eyes were the same shade as her hair, glowing with a kindness Len had never seen before. A light shade of pink went across her cheeks as her eyes fell on Len, then she smiled sweetly and offered him the hat back.

"Oh! Here's your hat," she said cheerfully. Len slowly took it, not sure what to think. It was almost as if his entire brain had shut down. "What's your name?"

"L-Len…" the blonde boy stammered. The green-haired girl smiled again.

"I'm Miku, Hatsune Miku," she responded. Len smiled slightly and nodded.

"It's uh… it's a pleasure to meet you, Miku." The girl beamed at him, and then ran off to join a blue-haired man not to far away from them. By that time Rin had finally caught up with her servant, and skidded to a stop beside him. Her eyes were glued, horrified to the couple. That was the prince of blue, _her _prince… he was in love with a mere _village girl_! The fourteen-year-old princess clenched her fists, nails digging into her palm. That girl, that peasant was going to pay for this. It was her fault that the prince had rejected Rin!

"Nii-san… I want to go home," she said firmly, turning to him. Len blinked at his sister, not sure what was bothering her. But he wouldn't dare disobey his princess.

"My lady, is something bothering you?" the servant asked once they had returned to the castle. Rin had been quiet the whole trip back, and she was quiet now. On the way home Len had even picked a teal-colored rose for her from the rose bush outside. Now she was holding it in one hand, gazing down at it with an expression Len couldn't read.

"That girl… the green-haired one…" Rin said in a quiet voice, just loud enough for her servant to hear. Then she crushed the flower in her hand, swinging it over her throne. "Needs… to… die!"

Len's eyes widened in shock. He had killed people before; he had witnessed death… but to kill her? _Her_? He didn't know if he could do it. But still he forced himself to smile at his princess. "Of course my princess, it will be done." Rin narrowed her eyes at him. They were full of malice, pure hatred. Len didn't think it was towards him, but everyone else. Towards Miku, towards the prince of blue, towards her prisoners.

"Princess!" came a male shout as the doors to the throne room were thrown open. Rin looked up at the guard without much interest. "Two prisoners have escaped!"

"…" If Rin could get any fuller of hatred, she would have. "What? That isn't _possible!_" she snapped.

"We found two of the cells open, one of the guards dead, and the trapdoor in the second cell had been opened," the guard informed them. "And in the first cell was 'Death to the daughter of evil' written in the dust."

Len scowled. It must have been their latest prisoner. She must have killed the guard with the sword she had been left with. This was all his fault. If he had taken the sword away from her, none of this would have happened. He would have to make up for this.

"I'll send a death order!" Rin barked. "Anyone who sees either of the prisoners is required to kill them or risk the guillotine."

"Yes, princess," the guard bowed and rushed out. Rin turned her baby blue gaze back to Len.

"Now… go get some rest, servant. At midnight tomorrow you will kill that girl," she addressed him. Len nodded, his heart aching painfully. She had called him 'servant'. She always used to call him 'nii-san'. It almost felt as if she remembered. But this was the raw proof that she still didn't realize… even after so much time… and making him kill the first girl he had ever had a crush on. She truly was horrible.

"Yes… my lady." Len bowed to her and then exited the throne room. It wasn't far to his living quarters, which was across the hall from the grand bedroom where the princess slept. He was supposed to be able to protect her if something bad happened. Bad things hardly ever happened, because everyone was either too afraid to confront the princess or ended up rotting in the dungeons.

Once he got into his private bedroom, Len shut the door quietly behind him. And then he broke down. The blonde-haired servant threw himself onto his bed, trembling as tears streaked his face. He had done everything… he had done everything his princess asked of him. There was no way he could disobey his lovely sister. But if it meant killing his first crush, the first person he had ever felt attracted to… was this what being the villain felt like? They were the ones killing people, taking away everything. And now he knew what he had put that poor maiden through. He was experiencing it now. He couldn't let his sister feel this way. No, he would protect her, he would do her bidding, even if it meant turning completely to the side of darkness. Len rolled over, looking up at the ceiling, trying to force himself to stop crying. But the tears kept falling, and wouldn't stop. They flowed in an almost rhythmic pattern, and before he knew it the servant had fallen into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"They're going to be after us soon," Dell huffed, climbing out of the trapdoor. Meiko and Dell had gone into the secret passage that was under the boy's cell, and ended up somewhere Meiko assumed was in the country of blue. No doubt would there be a death warrant for them in the yellow country, so… they had run as far as they could. It seemed that a long time ago when the trapdoor was still in use, it served as a secret passage to the neighboring villages and countries. So _that _was how the yellow soldiers got around so easily. But apparently it wasn't in use anymore for whatever reason, probably since the princess came to the throne.

"Where do we go now?" Meiko asked, turning to her comrade. The gray-haired man shrugged.

"Anywhere's better than the dungeons."


	12. Chapter 12

"Miku, you have a letter," Haku called. It was probably from the prince of blue. The white-haired girl pretended she didn't know what Kaito and Miku were up to, and so far Miku hadn't suspected her. She was really being betrayed. Dumped for someone of much higher authority. Haku should have known that this was coming. Miku was cruel, leading her into this trap. How could Haku possibly go on without Miku there with her?

"Really? I thought Kaito was busy today," the green-haired girl mused. She was close enough to the prince to even call him by name. Haku didn't say anything and simply handed her friend the letter. Miku looked at it for a second, then back up to Haku with a confused expression on her face. "Kaito doesn't mark his letters with a gold stamp."

"It's addressed to you either way," the white-haired girl informed her, shrugging and returning to her dishwashing duty. Miku blinked again and slowly opened the letter.

_Dear Miku-san,_

_ Do you remember me? We met yesterday in the town when you gave me my hat back. I managed to track you down by asking some people if they knew a Hatsune Miku… so I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me this afternoon. Come and meet me by the bakery._

_ -Len_

The greenette's eyes widened slightly, then she beamed as she immediately rushed out the door. The blue-haired mistress watched her leave and sighed to herself.

"What am I going to do with her…"


	13. Chapter 13

"You're so nice, Len-kun," Miku said happily, gazing out into the black night. "Getting me everything I wanted… are you sure you didn't want any ice cream?" It almost seemed odd. He was too nice, but Miku didn't really mind much. She liked him better than even Kaito, which was a surprise. Miku didn't even realize that even moreso, Len hadn't told her at all about his home country, or who he was except his name. That didn't faze her at all though.

"It's almost midnight…" Len murmured to himself. Miku blinked. It had already gotten that late? The girl looked up at the sky and blinked.

"Oh, is it! We've been out for a long time… maybe I should get back home now." Ignoring what she thought was a gasp from Len, Miku stood up and smiled at the boy. "See you tomorrow?" Then she turned to leave.

"W-wait! Don't leave!" Len cried, rushing towards her. Miku turned around, ready to ask what he needed when their lips crashed together. A deep blush spread across Miku's cheeks. Len was… kissing her? But she loved Kaito, didn't she?... No, she was sure now. She was in love with Len, not Kaito. Len's embrace had more feeling, deeper than the prince of blue could have ever given. And there was something else too, about the way he trembled… pain?

… Pain! Miku gasped, jolting away from Len as her entire body seared with pain. Her hand moved to her side where it was the most painful. It came back bloody. And then she saw it. Len was holding a bloody knife.

The girl's eyes widened in sheer horror. How could she have just found her true love, only to have him.. stab her? "You…" she murmured.

"I'm sorry…" Len said, his voice cracking even though Miku couldn't see his tears. "My princess wants you erased."

"I… you…" Miku saw the corners of her vision going black. "You're a _servant of evil!_" And then the knife went forward again. This time, it shattered Hatsune Miku's heart into a million pieces as she was thrown into oblivion.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Len muttered as he stabbed her again. And again. And again. He continued even though he knew Miku was long gone, he continued afraid that he had failed. And he did. He failed Miku. He failed himself. _My lady is happy… that's all that matters. Yes, that's all that matters._


	14. Chapter 14

"This is boring, just sitting here like this," the brunette growled, placing the glass of sake to her lips as she drank. She and Dell had found a hut that was on the edge of a small village given to them when the blue prince found out that they were in hiding. He hated the yellow princess, and for good reason. At the moment, Meiko was grumbling to herself with sake and Dell was smoking a cigarette in the corner.

"It is, but we can't go back," the gray-haired boy pointed out, blowing some smoke. "Not in the middle of the war."

Meiko sighed, but it was true. For the past month, the countries of green and yellow had been in a savage war. The pair had pretty much given up hearing news about it. If anything, they'd know if the yellow kingdom won. They would definitely be bragging about it. Or they would be complaining that they lost.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Uneasily, Meiko went to get it. Once she had opened it, a broken blue-haired man toppled into her arms. The brunette gasped slightly from the impact, stumbling backwards. Dell rushed to help her, and together they managed to get Kaito to sit on the couch. He looked in horrible shape, streams of tears staining his cheeks as he was trembling. Meiko could only imagine what happened.

"Mei-chan…" Kaito murmured. The brunette sat down beside him, allowing him to lean on her for support.

"What happened, Kaito-nii?" she asked. She had always considered the prince sort of like a younger brother, like Akaito did.

"It's Miku…" the younger man sobbed. "She's dead!"

It was at that point everything in the room shut down. There was at least ten minutes of silence before Dell spoke in his harsh, raspy voice, "What."

"The princess's servant," Kaito explained, making an attempt to wipe his tears with his sleeve. "He lured her into the forest and killed her."

"No…" Meiko murmured. This couldn't be true. Was the princess really this intent on hurting the lives of dozens of people? The woman clenched her fists. No. She would not allow this. "She's gone too far."


	15. Chapter 15

Why was she alive? Haku couldn't believe it. Someone up above must be planning a hell for her, because they had taken her most precious person away. Why couldn't Haku have died? Miku was innocent. Miku deserved to live. Why… why?


	16. Chapter 16

"Oh, it's snack time!" Rin giggled as Nii-san came into the room with a silver platter that had a serving of brioche on it. Things were all better now, after all that green-haired girl was dead so the prince _had_ to accept her proposal now! Rin didn't know why her servant was acting so weird. It wasn't like she had done anything wrong.

"I hope you like it, my lady," Nii-san smiled. Rin smiled back. She always loved it when her servant made the brioche himself. He had even once tried to teach her how to make it but she had failed. He'd fixed it though, so it was all good.

"Please join me, nii-san!" Rin beamed at him. For a moment, the blonde-haired servant looked confused, then he smiled and sat down across from her at the small tea table. Even if the prince of blue hated her, he was still going to marry her and her servant would still be there, so Rin was happy.

The tea time went by in laughter, and Rin didn't even notice that her servant's laughter may have only been half-hearted. There was no reason in the world that she could think of that her servant would be unhappy about.

Right as they were finishing up, the purple-haired man who was Rin's minister walked in. He was obviously panicked.

"P-princess…!" he said. Rin looked over at him with disinterest.

"What is it, minister?" the blonde princess asked, rolling her eyes.

"Outside… there's a rebellion…! We don't stand a chance! They're coming to get you!"

"What?" both the princess and servant said in unison. That wasn't possible! Who would ever dream of trying to capture the princess of yellow? It was unheard of.

"Minister, take the servants and leave this place," Rin ordered to the shocked minister. The purple haired man quickly nodded and ran off. "You too, nii-san."

"No."

Rin stared at her servant in shock. Why wasn't he running? Did he just tell her 'no'? "That is an order, servant!"

"No!" he snapped, then his gaze turned soft again. "I can't let you fall to them."

"I don't think I have a choi-" the young princess was silenced by her servant placing his fingers on your mouth.

"Yes you do," he whispered softly, before taking her by the hand and leading him to his bedroom. Why was he…?

Before Rin could even fully comprehend what her servant was doing, he was pushing a bundle of folded clothes into her arms. "Here, take my clothes. Put them on and escape immediately…"

"Nii-san!" Rin cried, but she couldn't keep his hands away. He was too strong for her. Despite her protests, he managed to dress her in the clothes he had given her, as well as dress himself in the dress Rin had been wearing. Lastly, he carefully took the black ribbon out of his hair and tied Rin's up with it.

"They'll kn-" Rin started to protest, but didn't finish her sentence because of the servant's fingers again. He didn't really think they could trade places without anyone noticing? What would happen to him?

"Don't worry… We're twins, so surely no one will notice." He handed her a photograph, and all at once tears ran down Rin's cheeks. How could she… how could she have not noticed?

"LEN!" she screamed. "NO! LEN…!" A wave of feelings washed over her. Guilt, for what she had done. The sins she had committed. The fact that her servant was her twin brother… and she never realized it! She knew that they were going to send him to the guillotine. How could she let this be – how could she be reunited with her twin brother only to have him stripped from her again? How could she deal with losing the closest person in the world to her?

"Leave this place!" he snapped, glaring down at her like Rin had before so many times. "That's an order!" Rin just sat there, staring up at him in utter shock. She forgot him She forgot her own _twin brother_, and now he was leaving her. She couldn't believe it.

"Len…" Looking up at him again, Rin flinched at his harsh glare. Then his gaze turned soft and he kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry," he repeated, then shoved the girl by the shoulders towards the door. Tears flooding her eyes, Rin started to run. Where she was going, she didn't know, but she needed to get as far away as she could. Her cheeks were wet from the crying, and her heart was wrenching, but Rin knew that Len wouldn't let her come back. Ever.


	17. Chapter 17

Len watched his sister leave, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes. She would be safe. It didn't matter what was going to happen to him. He would protect her no matter what. They called the princess evil, so he must have the same blood flowing through his veins. There was a crash as he heard the main door of the palace being forced open. He was the only one left in the castle. Len could hear the footsteps, running to the throne room to capture the princess.

Finally, the door to the throne room was too forced open, and Len turned around daintily. Almost immediately the brunette prisoner held the point of her sword to his neck. His lips pulling into a sadistic grin, he said, "You disgraceful woman!"

The woman seemed shocked for a split second, but quickly got over it as she yanked the 'princess' by his wrist. Soon enough Len was bound and forced into a wagon leading to the federal prison.

Panting, Rin came to a stop. She had no clue where she was, since she had never really bothered to learn the geography of her country. She had avoided every person she saw, afraid that she might be recognized. Taken to the dungeons. But then again, that didn't sound as bad as Len taking her place. Why did she let him switch their clothes? She was helpless. There was no one left in the world that would ever love her. The one person who had always protected her, kept her from any kind of harm was gone and who knows what was going to happen to him.

The blonde fugitive wiped her tears, then took out the photograph Len had given her. She remembered when that picture was taken, on their fourth birthday. It was enough to bring the tears back to Rin's pale blue eyes. It was hard to think that they had been so happy before, under the sound of the church bells that would more than likely bring about the end of it all. They had been separated, destiny took its course and brought them back together. But being the idiot Rin was, she hadn't seen it. Trembling, Rin clutched the photograph close to her chest.

"Len…" she whispered. She knew what she was going to do. She was going to move by the church where Len had told her about the bottle out to sea, and maybe try and start over. A clean slate. But there was something she needed to do first…


	18. Chapter 18

Meiko looked up at the clock tower. Five minutes until 3 o'clock. They had captured the princess and sent her to the dungeons where guards awaited so they could bring her out to the guillotine. The daughter of evil was going to be executed at three, when the church bells rang. People were gathered all around, calling her a hero for capturing the princess. But how could she be a hero when her hands were tainted with yellow blood? The blood of her own birth country? The brunette sighed. There was still so much to think about. Who would rule the kingdom once the princess was gone?

"Yo, Mei-chan." Meiko blinked and glanced over at Dell who was giving her an encouraging smile.

"Oh, Dell."

"Just wanted to say, good job," the gray-haired man said, resting a hand on Meiko's shoulder. The brunette smiled weakly at him. She needed to talk to Kaito. Giving Dell an assuring nod, Meiko walked off to find the prince. It wasn't hard to find him, because he was standing right in front of the now empty castle.

"Kaito-nii," Meiko cleared her throat, causing the younger man to jump and turn to her.

"Mei-chan?" he asked, brushing some of his hair aside. He now had her full attention.

"The princess…" Meiko started, looking down at the ground briefly and then back up to Kaito. "It's not the princess. The servant traded places with her." The blue-haired man's eyes widened a little. Meiko knew it was the servant, because of the voice. She had heard the princess enough for her to recognize her voice. It was off. There was no other explanation but for the servant to have traded with her. But why?

"Let him die."

Meiko looked up at Kaito in disbelief. It was rare that the kind prince had ever said something in that tone of voice, let alone letting a mistake happen.

"He was the one that killed Miku…" Kaito whispered, clenching his fists. "The princess needs to know, wherever she is, what it feels like to lose someone."

The brown-haired warrior nodded. Then she heard the crowd in the distance start to get noisy. They were bringing the 'princess' out for execution.


	19. Chapter 19

The time had finally come. Len glared at the guards dragging him as he stepped out onto the platform. He had watched enough executions to know how this went. The 'princess' looked out into the crowd, until he spotted someone. Len's eyes widened slightly as his gaze fell upon his twin sister, who he could easily pick out in the crowd. She looked broken. But she was at least safe. Len sighed and smiled at her before he was shoved under the guillotine.

The church bells started to ring. Len could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The end was coming. He could feel it, each second that passed was one second closer to his death. He looked down at Rin again, who was clutching something to her chest as tears billowed down her cheeks. At least she wasn't harmed.

"Oh, it's snack time," Len smirked as he could hear the guillotine being released. The crowd began to cheer. There was a slight pain in his neck.

And then the world went silent.


	20. Chapter 20

The white-haired woman sighed and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Ever since Miku's death, Haku had left the blue-haired merchant lady and moved to the chapel overlooking the sea. She had heard that the princess died in the revolution, and a part of her was glad. Now she was standing, overlooking the sea in a white maiden dress that she had bought.

Suddenly, a small squeal brought Haku out of her thoughts. Looking behind her, she saw what looked like a young blonde boy who tripped on one of the rocks. He wasn't bothering to get up. Blinking, Haku moved over to the boy, offering him her hand. When the boy turned to her, the white-haired woman realized that it was actually a girl. Why would she be dressed in boy's clothes? No matter. She was still someone in need, with tears streaking her cheeks and her body trembling. Haku didn't ask what happened, simply helped the girl into the chapel and tended to her scrapes.

"Do you feel any better?" Haku asked the girl, smiling a half-smile at her. The blonde girl blinked, then stammered something that sounded vaguely like a 'yeah'.

"My name is Haku," she continued, standing up to look at the girl. The more she thought about it, the more the girl looked familiar. But she couldn't put her finger on it. "Let's get you some new clothes, those look like servant's wear!"

The blonde girl flinched a bit, then nodded. "My name is Rin," she murmured, almost soft enough for Haku to not hear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rin." Right now, the best thing to do was help the little girl.


	21. Chapter 21

After the white-haired girl, her name was Haku, had helped her the girl decided to start a new life. Dressed in a long black maiden's dress, Rin walked to the worship room of the chapel. She looked up to the ceiling, and held her hand over her heart. She wanted to apologize. Say that she was sorry for everything that she had ever done.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, tears threatening to overflow. "I committed many sins, how could I not have realized that I was a bad princess. The brown haired prisoner was right, I am a daughter of evil. Len.. wherever you are… please… I'm sorry!" The last phrase was almost screamed, and the tears flowed down her cheeks. Rin stood up, looking out the window at the sunrise, and grabbed one of the cloaks Haku had lent her, walking off towards the ocean.

Once she reached the shore, Rin stood there for a moment. She didn't even notice the bitter cold of coming into winter. Reaching down into the cloak, she pulled out what she had hidden there. A tiny glass bottle.

"_You know, there's a legend about this place. That if you put a wish in a bottle and send it to sea, your wish will come true."_

Pulling out the photograph of her and Len, Rin sighed and rolled it up gently, sticking it into the bottle. She sealed it with the cork and knelt down to the lapping waves. Slowly, she dipped the bottle into the ocean and it began to drift away. The message in a bottle that carried a faint wish and a growing regret. Rin sighed and closed her eyes, then started to sing.

Many times before she became princess, the purple-haired man would tell her how beautiful her voice was. That it could even soothe the deceased. It was a lame hope, but Rin hoped that she could maybe, just maybe, sing to Len even if he was no longer with her.

"_Ru ri ra, ru ri ra_

_This singing voice_

_To whom does it reach?_

_The key obtained is called words_

_Which open the door to the unknown…"_

Then she sat in silence, watching the sun rise. She didn't care that it was cold, or that her dress was getting dirty on the rocks. Suddenly, she saw something, a glimpse of blonde hair? Rin's eyes widened as she stared into deep blue eyes that matched her own… _Len? _But the vision had disappeared almost as soon as it had come, and Rin smiled.


	22. Chapter 22

Haku looked through the door to the chapel. She had heard Rin get out of bed, and found the young girl again in the worship room. The white-haired girl was about to say something, when she heard Rin's confession. Then it hit her like a train wreck. Somehow, the princess had managed to escape. The rumors were wrong. But that must truly mean she was… a daughter of evil.

Following Rin to the beach, Haku made her steps silent. Rin would never know that the woman was behind her. Clenching her fists, Haku knew what she had to do. She slowly pulled a knife from her pocket. This woman was the one that killed Miku. She had to pay for that. Haku silently and quickly raised the knife with both hands, ready to make it come down on the young girl. She would pay for her sins.

That's when Haku saw it. A flash of blonde. A boy.. a boy appeared in front of them, almost a sign. Haku realized it now. Rin was the girl that she had once been. They had both lost someone important to them, and the white-haired girl realized that she couldn't take Miku's revenge after all.


	23. Chapter 23

When Len woke up, everything was black. The silence was almost deafening, and it was cold. The blonde servant looked around many times, but there was nothing around him. He hugged himself and fell to his knees, shivering in the darkness. He stayed there for what seemed like hours, fear coating his heart. Then, he heard a ghastly voice. Len's eyes widened in horror. He knew that voice. But he couldn't see the source.

"Little boy's crimes are getting old," Miku's voice laughed. Len shook with terror. No, this couldn't be. "You're far away from me forever!" Len rose to his feet and looked at the ceiling. There was a spring in it.

Suddenly a burning sensation filled Len's senses, and he felt himself repeating his sins over and over. He remembered the feel of Miku's blood on his hands. He remembered her screaming at him 'servant of evil'! It was a terrible feeling, but as long as he thought about his lady being happy somewhere in the world of living, he told himself that he would endure it. He had to.

Len didn't keep track of how long he was there. He just knew that he would never wake up. He would gaze up at the ceiling for infinite periods of time, watching for the day when the spring changed. There were hot red cuffs around his wrists, searing into his skin. They were surely the color of blood spilled during the revolution. There were cold blue chains around his ankles. They were surely the color of someone's tears.

One day, Len thought he heard something. A voice. It was a cleansing voice. Len closed his eyes and let the soft melody wash over him. Who was singing this lovely song?

"_Ru ri ra, ru ri ra…"_

While he could still hear that soft melody, the pain seemed to numb. One day, Len noticed that the song had a real meaning. But what was it? Someone was sending him a message… but he couldn't read it… Len closed his eyes and let the faint song wash over him. It was his new lullaby. New words were being added to it, Len knew because he had heard it so many times. Like a mother singing to a baby. He was the baby.

Then, a tiny light came down from the spring. Len blinked, holding up his burning hands to hold it. Then a shock went through him – surely someone was giving him a message!

Then, another voice came into earshot. It was Miku's voice. Len could see a faint version of her, a beautiful maiden. "It isn't that your sins aren't tolerated."

The red cuffs fell off and Len could hear the brown-haired prisoner's voice. "After this, you will be born again."

The blue shackles came off too and Len could make out the prince of blue's voice. "Today is your new birthday." The servant gasped and the blackness of the room was painted white. Freed from his bonds, Len began to run towards a light that had formed in the distance. Soon, he thought, he would meet them very soon. His limbs ached from the running, but he didn't dare stop. Once he got close enough, Len jumped forward, one hand stretched out towards the light…

"_Initializing model 02… Kagamine Len…"_

He opened his eyes. Harsh light was glaring down on him. He could hear voices in the background. Sitting up, he held his head. It hurt. The blonde boy glanced over at the door, where his gaze was met by four others. One was tall, brunette, in a red outfit. The other one was a bit younger, with blue hair and a scarf. The third had long green hair. And the fourth…

Len grinned as his eyes began to water.


End file.
